May 14, 2013

Drat, Foiled Again

My intention was to get this finished for Sara and give it to her for her birthday Sunday, but as you can plainly see, I failed to accomplish that goal.

Several things went wrong. Mainly, I discovered that I had made seven of the blocks with a pure white fabric. The other thirteen blocks appear to have been made with a creamier shade of white. Both shades of white are noticeabley different from each other. I have no idea what happened. The pure white is the better choice I think, as it plays best with the pure pinks and reds in the PamKittyMorning fabric line.

Friends, this is what happens when you abandon a project for a year and then go back to it. Anything can have gone into that project box, and who knows what you were thinking last year? I must have had a plan, do ya' think?

Bother. I ended up with just enough of the pure white to put six blocks together for a table topper. Luckily there was just enough for the lattice. My other issue was I didn't have enough of any one fabric to use for a border and binding, which I think this project calls for. I plan to order some of the red floral print for a border and then I will quilt it myself. Maybe if I give it to her with a big bouquet of red roses, or a snappy red geranium plant she will forgive me for being late with her gift. I think it will be pretty darn cute, in a fun retro kind of way.

I can't swear to it, but I think this creamier white yardage the block is sitting on is a good amount of Kona Snow, which at one point I bought by the bolt, since I was using it so much. In good light, with only one layer of fabric spread out, it is a pretty dead on match with what I used in the remaining 13 blocks. It looks a bit dark in the photo, but it is about 10 layers of fabric, folded. It makes sense I would have grabbed for this white when I started the project, since I knew I had tons of it. How that bright white got in the box, I have no clue.

Tuck my lesson away in your memory banks so this mistake doesn't happen to you. Whites are not all just white. There are a thousand different shades of white and they are not at all interchangeable.

Now I am thinking to make a few more blocks with the Kona Snow and end up with a small quilt for Eva. Maybe 20 blocks all together. It isn't as if making these adorable blocks isn't fun, and I certainly do have plenty of pink and red left...

Comments

I feel your pain as I have done the exact mistake and didn't know how it happened except to say that I picked up a project a year or so later and must have stuck some fabics in the box....looks really nice of what you have done....good save!
Gail

Well, phooey! The best laid plans ... as you and I well know. Bother! Even if the whites don't match, I adore these happy blocks.

My method of keeping myself on track is to write a note to myself before abandoning a project. I include my thoughts for what I'm making, cutting sizes, how it will be finished, and sometimes even the names or snips of the fabrics. When I finally get back to the project and read my note, I may stick to the original plan or change my mind, but that relieves me of kicking myself because I didn't remember what the plan was.

Not to worry, Sara will be delighted whenever she receives her gift. Love the idea of red flowers to go with it.

Those blocks are so beautiful! I'm sorry about the background mix up. Sounds like something I would do. That or ordering a whole bolt of the wrong color Bella solid because I liked it so much when I made a quilt for Lily. Yep, wrong color. Guilty.

Eva will be thrilled! Love presenting it with some red flowers - and I really like geraniums. They would go perfect with this pattern and fabric. I started on my Swoon quilt last week and had just enough bright white and a ton of this 'other' white. Luckily I had bought one of those Moda Bella Solid color cards, so I know that what I have is the Bleached White and a creamier "Feather" color. Otherwise, I don't know what I would have done to match it later...